But such a process could only take place within the strictest limits. soon as the anti-bureaucratic struggle begins to develop in a genuinely revolutionary direction, challenging the bureaucracy as a whole, the factional struggle within the leadership will come to an abrupt end. The rival leadership groupings will unite suppress the masses - which was exactly what happened in the final stages of the Cultural Revolution.
For many years self-proclaimed 'China-watchers' have been predicting rapid civil disorder upon the death of Mao - in particular a clash between the army and the party. Some have gone so far as to envisage a civil war between the commanders of the various armed forces, or an armed confrontation between the People's Liberation Army and the People's Militia. The mistake these 'China-watchers' make is to confuse China today with the 1920's and 1930's when the country was ruled by war-lords. This is wrong tor severa reasons.
Firstly, China today is independent and unified, not only politically but economically. The main reason for war-lordism in the past was behind-the-scenes manipulation by rival impIllusions But Trotskyists should also not forget that sections of the masses have developed certain illusions in parts of the programme of this grouping - in particular, on the issues of democracy, socialist legality and freedom. They should therefore fight to channel these misplaced aspirations in a revolutionary direction, so that they further the cause not of bourgeois but of proletarian democracy.
Most important of all, they should fight shoulder to shoulder with the broad worker and peasant masses for the realisation of such a proletarian democracy, for the establishment of genuine worker and peasant soviets, for the reawakening of internationEXILAM. I LIBERTAD
AND IF I WON'T GET OFF YOUR BACK, THEN (GIGGLE) HIT ME WITH WEEKLY Last week Trico management came up with another offer to the women on strike. After putting their heads together for 18 weeks, the Employers Federation and management nave concocted yer anotner formula for equal pay in reverse. It's amazing what this motley crew and their pocket calculators can invent, but to most of us 50p plus the 4½ per cent pay award for women workers only certainly isn't equal pay.
As if that weren't enough, acceptance of this generous offer by the management would also mean agreeing to the abolition of all shop agreements, which protect working conditions in the factory. So at their mass meeting last progress is anything to judge by.
Trico strike could It was because of the need for national action that we also supported the proposal from the Greater London Association of Trades Councils for a demonstration of trade union support for Trico. Unfortunately, this proposal seems to have disappeared in the mists of time if present In the coming weeks, national solidarity action with the be crucial in bringing home to management the 'spirit of the Equal Pay Act'. That is why urge the fullest support for the demonstration called last weekend by the national secretariat of the Working Women's Charter Campaign to